Turkish Evil Eye Charms by Cemre for The Sims Resource As in many cultures, Turks believe the envy of others can cause harm, whether intentionally or involuntarily. Turks use Nazar Boncugu (literally evil eye bead) to guard against evil associated with envious or covetous eyes. Nazars can be seen dangling from the bumpers of taxi cabs, pinned to the clothes of babies, built into the foundation of modern office buildings, guarding the doorways of kebap houses, and built into the code of websites. The charms are believed to reflect evil and protect the wearer from physical harm that can befall the object of negative thinking. Turkish people believe that with the evil eye amulet you will be protected and all the bad energy will be directed to the amulet and it will brake.Once this amulet is found cracked, it means it has protected the owner and immediately a new one has to replace it. No bad energy will reach you since you are protected with the amulet of nazar boncuk. Have you just had a new child? Bought a new car? Built a new office building? Worried that your friends and others are filled with envy about your good fortune? The protection of the Nazar is used for anything new or likely to attract praise. The belief is that even well-intentioned compliments include a conscious or unconscious dose of envy and resentment. The bead reflects the evil intent back to the onlooker. It somewhat resembles an eye and it is said the typical blue color is a factor in protecting the user.

Turkish Cini Plates by Cemre for The Sims Resource TURKISH TILE ART Cini (earthenware glazed tiles) are usually used in architecture, and products such as pots and bowls are referred to as ceramics. Although the word Cini might seem to have something to do with China, experts accept that the art is totally indigenous to the Turkish people. Until the 18th century, cini in architecture were called Kasi and cini objects used in daily life (plates, vases, bowls etc.) were called evani (kitchen equipment). At that time, Chinese porcelain was very popular and widely imported. In order to emphasize the quality of the Turkish-made kasi these began to be called cini. Cini, which is a branch of ceramic art that developed in Central Asia, was brought to Anatolia by the Seljuks. It occupied a very important place in Ottoman architectural decoration and embellished mosques, medreses (theological schools), tombs and palaces. The early Ottoman period continued the Seljuk heritage. Geometric writings with figures, plant designs, and yellow and green colors were used. İznik, which also used to be a center of ceramic art, maintained its dominant position between the 14th-18th centuries. In addition to the Iznik workshops, which lost much of their importance in the 17th century, Kutahya became another center for ceramics in the 15th century, although the quality of its products was inferior to those of Iznik. Kutahya-styled ceramics are generally blue, red, yellow, purple and green. In the 18th century, Canakkale ceramics that demonstrate regional characteristics appeared. After the 17th century, ceramics began to degenerate. Up to the republican period, we mainly see Kutahya and Iznik ceramics, as well as Yildiz porcelain, the raw material for which was imported from France. In the 18th century, the ceramic arts in Iznik finally died out. At the same period, Kutahya cini reached their peak but began to lose quality during that same century. In the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, Iznik designs began to be imitated elsewhere. Today, the center of this art is Kutahya.

Turkish Kilim Cushions by Cemre for The Sims Resource Kilim (Rug), denotes a pileless textile of many uses produced by one of several flatweaving techniques that have a common or closely related heritage and are practiced in the geographical area that includes parts of Turkey (Anatolia and Thrace), North Africa, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Central Asia and China. Girls weaving kilim rugs for their dowry chests use this motifs, designs, colors to express their hopes for children, good fortune or a strong and handsome husband, while a married woman may show her irritation with a prickly mother-in-law or longing for an absent mate. Ancient tribal allegiance may also be expressed through symbols whose meanings are now perhaps forgotten but still kept in designs by some mysterious impulse of the subconscious. The lore of kilim motifs, designs, colors and their symbolism is as rich and complex as the combined heritage of cultures that gave them birth and contributed to their evolution.

Xmas Gifts Stall Price Board Thank you so much Renate for helping me so much after my illness, and of course for the Menu Board Mesh.

Turkish Mother of Pearl Inlaid Jewelery Boxes by Cemre for The Sims Resource Mother-of-pearl is definitely the immediate family of the pearl. These two are born and bred in the thick valves of the sea and fresh water mollusks. In fact, they are the secretion of a skin, called coating, which covers the body of mollusks in the valve. They are a combination of calcium, phosphor and salts. Mankind discovered mother-of-pearl thousands of years ago, as a result of admiration for beauty. There is proof indicating the use of mother-of-pearl as an ornament, as a decorative object in Ancient Egypt. Distinctive examples of mother-of-pearl trimmings were found in Sumerian graves in Mesopotamia. Mother-of-pearl craftsmen created countless pieces in Ancient China and India cultivating the pearls themselves for centuries. Mother-of-pearl was embraced by Turks during the reign of Ottoman State. This material had been used extensively in classical Ottoman pieces of art since the 15th century. It can be said that mother-of-pearl has shown major importance in Turkish-Ottoman art in its commonest and most developed form. While mother-of-pearl inlaying was associated with Anatolian wood art, Kundekari in Turkish, at the beginning, it later became an art in itself. Mother-of-pearl artisanship could be given a place somewhere in between carpentry and jewelry. In mother-of-pearl inlaying, a hard and durable tree, such as walnut, mahogany, rosewood or ebony, is used. It is also important to choose a dark colored tree to make the mother-of-pearl to be “inlaid” into the wood. Nests are opened on the wood in various forms, and the mother-of-pearl pieces being cut in the same forms are placed and embedded into these nests. Today, chests, coffee tables, lecterns, bookshelves, sugar bowls, jewel cases, stern-boards, backgammon boards, chess attract the attention of both domestic and foreign tourists.

XMas Market Stall Anatolian Gifts This can be found in Floorlamps section.